Dedicated Crew
by Kereea
Summary: What happened between Kirk waking up in the hospital and the ceremony at the end of Into Darkness. Minor spoilers. Also, how the K/S/U started in my headcanon.


A/N: My little: what happened during the bits we didn't see at the ending of Into Darkness" between Kirk and the crew. Kirk/Spock/Uhura, minor .

.o.o.o.

James T. Kirk had to give his crew credit. When they put their minds to something, they did it.

Right now the issue was that they'd put their minds to keeping an eye on him after his only-mostly-dead experience and frankly would not be swayed.

McCoy he could understand. Bones was just that kind of guy, he would harangue and irritate a patient until he knew the person was well and truly fine. Except there were no precedents for what they'd all just done, and frankly no precedents for Jim's condition.

Jim had the sneaking suspicion that what that really meant was that Bones was free to mother-hen to his heart's content. And the crew, on shore leave until after the memorial, had decided to join in.

Spock, Uhura, and Chekov flat out did not leave his apartment since getting there after he'd moved home. Jim had slowly been working out his crew's self-imposed assignments, and he could guess at why those three had yet to go.

Spock was to make sure Jim adhered to Bones' rest orders. Unlike the doctor, Spock was fully capable of forcing Jim into bed if need be, and frankly his 'glare of shaming' was better than Bones' was, especially given the circumstances.

Uhura was handling all calls for Jim, Spock, Chekov, herself, and all paperwork. She had so far assured Jim's mother ten times that yes, he was alive, and no, Uhura was not sleeping with him. Even Spock seemed a bit close to laughing by the time the fifth of those had rolled around. Jim would have laughed if he hadn't been so shocked at his mother's panic.

Chekov had decided to reveal his inner neat-freak and clean _everything_. His eye had started twitching the second he'd set foot in the messy apartment to wish the captain well and he hadn't left yet. Thus far he'd vacuumed, cleaned every counter, organized a bookcase, done three loads of laundry, and for some reason destroyed the curtains and hung up spares since Kirk's were "not salvageable, captain." He was digging around looking for hidden messes right now.

"I am still finding clothing," the ensign complained, clearly shocked that this was so on the fifth day of the vigil.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure most of what you've found recently isn't mine," Kirk said, smirking. Chekov genuinely looked at the lacy whatever it was he was holding in horror before chucking it in the laundry basket with surprising force.

"Please do not torment the ensign, Jim," Spock said, still considering his next chess move.

"Well you three aren't leaving me with other options. You don't get annoyed and I know better than to push Uhura," Kirk replied.

The communications officer looked pleased as she continued going through the seemingly endless list of reports. "Starfleet wants confirmation that the second hull breach occurred during warp."

"We gave them that exact information two days ago," Spock said, finally moving a knight.

"They want the confirmation of the head engineer," she specified.

"But Mr. Scott was not on board at the time," Chekov said.

The other three looked at him.

"Oh, right! I vas head engineer," Chekov said. "Sure, I can confirm it…this is a very complex document."

"I think this one's for lawyers," Uhura said.

"Poor Chekov. I hate lawyers," Kirk said, studying the board.

Uhura tossed another data pad at him and Spock. "Signatures."

"For?" Spock asked, picking up the pad when it was clear Kirk wasn't going to.

"Mr. Scott is making new regulations regarding the core and what to do if it is out of alignment, requiring specialized suits directly outside of the door to the core in case of emergencies."

Spock and Kirk signed instantly.

"Why are they asking how thick the hull vas? It vas standard thickness," Chekov said, dumping laundry into the cleaner while still reading. "And I did not have time to measure the breach when it happened! We were at warp and I vas in engineering!"

"Lawyers," Kirk repeated, finally moving a rook.

"What about the blood suckers?" Bones asked, letting himself in. "Good god, tell me you three have slept."

"The captain has a surprisingly comfortable sofa," Chekov replied.

"We take shifts," Uhura added.

"Good. I have enough patients as is," Bones said, scanning Kirk. "How do you feel?"

"Bored. And annoyed that Spock just checked me," Kirk grumbled.

"You are to technically wait until I have announced check," Spock noted. "I take from your comments that you dislike lawyers, doctor?"

"Only when they're the 'legislate it all so our asses are covered' sort," Bones said. "And going by Chekov's face, that's what you're dealing with.

"I am starting to think that whoever wrote this has never seen a star ship in their life," Chekov admitted. Uhura leaned over to scan the document and looked mildly horrified by it.

"Blood pressure's still low," Bones noted, looking at the scan results. "Immune system's a bit under too."

"I hate you all," Kirk huffed, finally moving a bishop.

"Melodrama is not conducive to recovery, Jim," Spock noted. "Check."

"I think he's just mad Sulu hasn't been by for a bit," Uhura said. "Seeing as how he was willing to discuss piloting the Enterprise and other stuff Kirk likes for as long as Kirk's awake."

"Hey, what he does with his time is his business," Kirk replied.

"Sulu caught a small cold. With Jim's immune system a bit low I told him to stay home," Bones said.

"A-ha!" Kirk said, getting out of check. "Now who's checked?"

"Me," Spock noted calmly, studying the board.

"How's our girl?" Kirk asked Bones.

"Scotty swears he'll have your beloved ship ready in time to be considered for the five year mission," Bones sighed. "For the record, I hope we lose that one."

"If you dislike space so much, why Starfleet?" Uhura asked.

"Oh, that's a fun one," Kirk snickered. "For the record, it's why I call him Bones."

Before he could say anything else, McCoy made the decision that Kirk had in fact not been sleeping enough and tranquilized him.

.o.o.o.

"It's been a week!" Kirk complained.

"You were dead for several hours and in a coma for two weeks. Suck it up," Uhura instructed.

"You have a mean girlfriend," Kirk told Spock.

"Uhura is correct, captain. Frankly I think your recovery would be aided by you ceasing your constant escape attempts."

"If he goes for the window again Chekov and I voted for putting temporary bars on it," Carol said.

"Thank you, doctor," Kirk said dryly.

"Mr. Sulu wanted _electric_ bars," Carol replied. Sulu didn't even bother to look ashamed of himself.

"That would be counterintuitive, at best," Spock said.

"Which is why you talked me out of it, Mr. Spock," Sulu said.

"Thanks," Kirk said to Spock. "And, guys? I still think playing poker means you're getting desperate."

"Somebody has a bad hand," Uhura said, smirking.

"Is that a challenge?" Kirk asked.

"I'm still trying to figure out who bluffs better, the Vulcan or the diplomatic expert," Carol said.

"If we go by chips, then it's Uhura," Chekov said. "Be careful, Captain."

"…Twenty chips!" Sulu announced.

"Oh god, is he bluffing?" Carol groaned.

"Knowledge of whether or not he was would defeat the purpose of the inherent gamble," Spock noted.

"He doesn't know," Kirk said.

"That is not what I said," Spock argued.

"Any takers?" Sulu asked smugly.

"…He's got to be bluffing," Chekov decided. "See, and raise you to twenty-five."

"I'll see that," Uhura said.

"Raise you to thirty," Sulu said.

"This should be good," Carol said. "Captain, don't even _try_. We're not _that_ distracted."

Kirk swung his legs back in bed. "You lot are impossible."

"I wonder where we get it," Sulu said.

.o.o.o.

"Congratulations, Jim, you have survived the ordeal of us mother-henning you and are in top condition," McCoy said. "Therefore I can inform you that yes, we will be celebrating."

"Good bar a short bit from here, naturally something you knew when you got the place," Scotty said. "Mr. Spock and Chekov have agreed to be the designated drivers."

"Well, Spock agreed, Chekov just knows he can't drink in public without damaging the reputation of Starfleet as giving alcohol to minors. Like half the Federation doesn't already, these days," McCoy groused.

"You had me at alcohol," Kirk said, glad to stretch his legs. "Have we figured out where we're putting Carol?"

"Dr. Marius has requested to be the main link between medical and engineering," Scotty said. "You know, seeing as how my subordinates love injuring themselves and McCoy's can't seem to handle weapons well."

"Marius?" Kirk asked.

"Would you be able to call her Dr. Marcus with a straight face?" McCoy asked.

"Would anyone onboard not named Spock be able to?" Kirk shot back. McCoy nodded in apparent agreement. "Hey, Scotty, where's Keenser?"

"Oh, he's helping Chekov and Sulu settle a bet. Something about cultural foods and who can stand what," Scotty said. "I bet on Keenser winning. Stomach of iron, if you can believe it."

.o.o.o.

"Okay, if that bass isn't turned down soon, I'm taking Ensign Chekov on a sabotage mission," McCoy huffed.

"Why me?" Chekov asked, idly stirring his virgin tonic. "Make Keenser do it."

Keenser kicked him under the table, happily sipping something that smelled like it was burnt, oddly enough.

"Because other than Spock you're the likeliest to have steady hands right now and I doubt he's going to get any closer to those speakers without it being life and death," McCoy said. "And Keenser has done a duty today anyway. Heard he ate a tablespoon of wasabi. And, again, Spock clearly won't go near the things."

"I would prefer to keep my distance," Spock agreed before returning to his discussion on recent dilithium breakthroughs with Scotty and Carol.

"How's the leg?" Uhura asked.

"Fine, still a bit swollen. Little tender, nothing big," Carol said. "Just glad we kept the injuries…somewhat…minimum."

"I consider only-mostly-dead minimum," Kirk agreed.

"Jim, if you even try something like that again no one at this table will forgive you," McCoy warned, signaling a bartender for more whiskey.

"Yeah, no, if it saves the rest of you, I'll pull it," Kirk said.

"Sweet, but we're going to make sure that doesn't happen, right Mr. Scott?" Sulu asked.

"Damn straight!" Scotty agreed. "Why there weren't procedures for fixing that kind of thing safely before I'll never know. But we have them now!"

"How about we all agree not to endanger ourselves until we find out about the five year mission?" Uhura offered. "And try to not endanger ourselves for as long as possible afterwards?"

"There's those diplomatic skills," Kirk said. "I kind of think you almost had those Klingons, you know."

"Had Khan not interrupted I still would have had some chance to get them on our side, even with the choking attempt," Uhura agreed. "Still, I've brushed up on my Klingon since then. I think I wasn't using the right tenses to stress urgency at some points…"

"You know…we never really debriefed on the mission," Scotty said.

Everyone at the table glanced at each other.

"Come on, Chekov, sabotage," McCoy decided, dragging the ensign off.

"Don't you dare," Kirk told Spock.

"Mr. Scott raises a good point," Spock admitted. "Though the totality of the debriefing would simply be that despite our losses and near-losses Khan was recaptured and returned to where he should be and we all are on shore leave until after the memorial."

"Thank you for your succinctness," Kirk said.

"I'm actually a bit impressed you can say that word when drunk," Uhura noted.

"It's my third beer, I am not drunk!" Kirk argued.

"Lad, almost all of us are," Scotty said.

While Spock did not verbally agree, Kirk saw the commander's hand ghost over the pocket where he had everyone's confiscated keys and a rather obvious expression of relief upon doing so.

.o.o.o.

"I think you two just need to move in for a bit at this point," Kirk said as he, Spock, and Uhura sorted through the paperwork detailing the discovery of the Vengeance, the attack at warp, and Admiral Marcus in general. "I mean, you get here by breakfast and don't leave until after dinner. Just bunk here for a while. You know, until the paperwork flood stops."

Uhura seemed to consider it, still locating all the places signatures and initials were needed from Kirk and Spock. She glanced at Spock, clearly looking for input.

"It would be logical, as it would waste less fuel," Spock said. "And as fuel is rather important to a reeling city at the moment that is likely even more logical to do."

Uhura handed him her apartment keys, "You know what to pack."

Spock left and retrieved his and Uhura's belongings , but upon his return found her and Kirk arguing. Loudly.

"You're the lady, I have to let you take my room! It's just hospitality!"

"It's your house and the couch is fine!" Uhura replied. "Spock, talk sense into him! He was in a coma recently!"

"It's been two weeks!"

"Which is also how long you were in the coma!"

"Captain, I frankly think you should let this go. Uhura has on occasion demonstrated an ability to argue for several hours, in which case none of us will get any sleep, which at this point even I require."

Kirk huffed, "Fine…wait, where are you sleeping?"

"I had assumed the floor…but by the looks you are both giving me I take it I will not be allowed to," Spock backtracked.

"I think the older couple down the hall have a portable cot. One second," Kirk said, heading out.

"Do you both really object that much?" Spock asked. "It is simply sleeping on a floor, after all."

"Spock, don't get me started. I still feel like arguing with someone," Uhura sighed.

.o.o.o.

It was the morning of the memorial and only Spock was even close to ready. The only reason he wasn't ready was because Kirk had accidentally gotten the Commander's dress uniform's jacket wrinkled and naturally the Vulcan was going to iron it.

Uhura and Kirk had been vying for mirror space for the last fifteen minutes, both casually cursing Spock for having such manageable hair in comparison to Uhura's uncooperative bun and Kirk's bedhead. Uhura finally got her own hair to where it looked fine with her cap on and she left Kirk to his frustration.

She gave Spock a quick kiss while getting on her dress shoes and jacket when the door buzzed. Uhura went to get it, since Spock would of course deem having on slacks and an undershirt too underdressed to answer a door.

"Hello?" she asked, her mind coming a blank at the woman outside. She really hadn't gotten enough sleep lately, she knew she should know who-

"Are you a…friend of my son's?" the woman asked.

"C-commander Kirk!" Uhura said, realize she was looking at her captain's mother one second too late. God she need coffee. "Ah, yes, we're…friends. No, no, not that kind of friend!" And it took her a moment too long to realize what Wionna Kirk was implying. Great.

"Mom?" Oh thank goodness, Spock had sense and had gotten Kirk. "What are you doing here?"

Uhura stepped back and busied herself with helping Spock put up the iron and board. Both sensed that something wasn't quite right when that was what a son asked his mother who'd been emailing incessantly since he'd been hospitalized.

"I wanted to see you, you know, before the ceremony," Wionna said.

"Oh, um, thanks," Kirk said. "For coming, I mean."

"Yes, well, I hadn't heard from you, just a friend relaying that you were all right."

"That was Uhura," Kirk said, nodding at her stiffly as he let his mother in. Spock had somehow gotten the rest of his dress uniform on when no one was looking, but he seemed puzzled and was looking around.

"Something wrong, Spock?" Kirk asked, clearly glad for a distraction.

"Is something…burning?" the Vulcan asked slowly.

Kirk looked around, "Oh shit!"

Uhura followed him as he reached the kitchen and frantically ran his dress hat under the tap. "You left your hat on the coffeemaker?"

"I needed coffee this morning okay?"

"Not okay, you can't wear that! Spock, he can't wear that!" Uhura said, pointing at the quite obviously charred hat.

"He cannot. Though the captain has shown a preference to remove his hat at the first opportunity more than a dozen times, so hopefully it will be taken as simply a personal quirk," Spock said.

"So, you must be Commander Spock," Wionna said, clearly grasping for something to say.

"Yes," Spock agreed.

"Where's Bones anyway, I thought he was driving?" Kirk complained, saving Spock from having to make an attempt at small talk.

.o.o.o.

The ceremony went very well, all things considered. Carol was obviously gleeful to have her cast off, no one questioned Kirk's lack of a hat, and this was the first awards ceremony where Keenser was actually with the crew when they received their commendations.

"Don't let him get too drunk," McCoy told Spock as things were breaking up.

"Excuse me?" the Vulcan asked quizzically, unsure as to whom the doctor was referring to and why.

"Jim. You and Uhura seem to have taken up babysitting, so listen up. He's not going to be feeling great after having to talk about Pike to this many people. Don't let him get to drunk. He was dead less than a month ago."

"Coma," Uhura corrected as she walked up.

"Just watch his alcohol intake," McCoy said.

"We're…babysitting?" Uhura asked quietly as McCoy headed off, presumably to get very drunk himself.

"I believe the more correct term would be…cohabitating. For Jims own good, of course."

"Well, yeah. It's not like he's at all proven he can take care of himself," Uhura said, nodding.

"Quite the opposite, actually."

"Right," she said. "…Stay unless he explicitly kicks us out?"

"Precisely," Spock said as Jim continued talking to his mother, looking more uncomfortable by the moment. "And perhaps extract him before too much alcohol becomes necessary."

"Hell yes."

.o.o.o.

"…Did you move in with me?" Kirk asked.

"Illogical," Spock said.

"If we're moving anywhere, we should pick Spock's place. It's bigger," Uhura agreed.

"Not what I meant and you know it," Kirk said.

"Well, as we frankly have not brought all of our belongings over, moving in is clearly not the correct phrase-"

"Jim, do you want us to leave?" Uhura cut in.

"No…don't you want to leave? We finished the paperwork a few days ago," Kirk said.

"No," Uhura and Spock said bluntly, Uhura having the sense to look a bit flustered.

Kirk nodded, and looked at Uhura, "Well, if Spock's place is bigger, what the heck are we doing here? Hell, Uhura, why are you and I even paying rent?"

.o.o.o.

"Jim, I can't believe you actually fit all your stuff into one trunk," Uhura said. "I mean, I needed way more than-"

"You actually own furniture. I just have clothes and stuff. Pretty much all I'd take on board, really. And speaking of furniture, Spock, this is the best couch ever!"

"I am pleased you approve of my home's fixtures, Jim," Spock said, giving them an expression that on a human would include serious eye-rolling.

"So, you guys think we'll get the five year mission?" Jim asked.

"They'd face media backlash if they didn't," Uhura said. "Also, they're probably worried we'll all tell the truth about Khan."

"How's our favorite Vulcan going to handle that, anyway?" Jim asked, propping himself up on is elbows in a way Uhura prayed wasn't as intentionally suggestive as it looked.

"John Harrison's punishment was met," Spock said flatly. "I need not elaborate that the punishment was being cryogenically frozen and the reason for that punishment was his identity as a dictator from three hundred years in the past."

"Sweet," Jim said. "…If we're moving in together,. Do I get to use your first name?"

"…Sparingly," Uhura agreed.

"Got it, Nyota. Hey, Nyota, where do you want to order dinner from?"

Spock glanced between the two, smiling slightly at the fond animosity filling the air, "Fascinating."

.o.o.o.

Kirk settled in between Spock and Uhura on the transport.

McCoy grinned, "Thank god. Thought I was going to have to lock you all in a closet once we were onboard or something."

"But since you didn't, I win," Carol said sweetly.

"Yes, yes, Dr. Marius," McCoy said. "I-O-U."

"Now make sure you abuse that, doc," Jim told Carol, grinning.

"Five years in space with you lunatics," McCoy growled.

"Do you not share in the idea that it will be a most fulfilling experience, doctor?"

Uhura glanced at Spock, who was perfectly straight-faced, barely stifling her giggles. Jim's snickers overrode them, as did Chekov and Sulu's guffaws.

"Don't get smug on me, hobgoblin. I never got a physical after you decided to go chases a super soldier through LA…"


End file.
